Dr. Hubert Karreman was our last stop of the day; we met him at a sweet old diner near Morgantown PA. Dr. Karreman is a large-animal veterinarian and has been practicing for many years, though he has slowed down recently due to some heart troubles. He seemed like a kind, no-nonsense, humorous guy, and he spoke with us about the changes he's seen since he's been in agriculture. "Doc" (as he was referred to by Daryl) advocates organic practices, and has limited his vet practice to organic animals only, or people who are transitioning their animals to organic.
He offered some interesting perspectives; it's always fascinating to chat with people who play a part in agriculture other than the farmers themselves. People like Dr. Karreman get to see numerous farms and understand how they work at a glance...while many farmers rarely visit operations other than their own and their neighbors.
Dr. Karreman recently completed a 5-year stint on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), a 15-member USDA team that creates the national standards that organic farmers need to meet in order to be certified. He has published a book entitled "Treating Dairy Cows Naturally", a farmer-friendly look at simple methods of bovine treatment that can save trouble, money, etc.
Living in Lancaster County gives him the chance to compare and contrast operations and cultural differences such as the Amish farms, organic farms, and conventional larger dairies around. His own bio can be seen on his business site: http://www.penndutchcowcare.org/pages/HJK_bio.html
0 comments:
Post a Comment